Ezra Speaks the Truth
by PLLisLove
Summary: Aria and Ezra's relationship is finally out in the open.
1. Chapter 1

Ella's Pov:

"What's Ezra doing here?" Byron asked in a confused voice.

"Uh, why don't you hear Peter out, I'll be right back." I said and began to walk towards him.

"Ella…" Ezra said, as he saw me approaching. I took a deep breath before responding.

"I know why you're here." I said

"You need to understand that I-"

"Stop. This is a very small town. People see things, and they talk. I actually thought you were an outstanding teacher."

"I'm in love with her."

"I'm going to give you one chance to walk away from this. Not because you deserve it, but because this is the last thing we need to deal with right now. And when you go, you need to keep going, because if Spencer's parents find out about this, they will ruin you."

Ezra's Pov:

Spencer's parents? What did they have to do with anything? I didn't have time to respond though because the girls started filing out of the room they were in. Spencer was first, followed by Emily, Hanna and finally, Aria.

"Ezra!" Aria cried when she saw me standing there. She didn't even care about who was watching, because she ran into my arms and started to cry. I held her close to me, forgetting about everything else. I hated seeing her cry.

"It's ok, I'm here." I said trying to comfort her. She looked up into my eyes and kissed me. I kissed her back and we stayed like that for a few moments until..

"Ahem"

We both turned at the same time. Spencer, Emily, and Hanna were all against the wall, smiling. They didn't look surprised to see us together. All of the parents, besides for Ella, were huddled together, with their mouths hanging open in shock.

_Crap_, I thought._ Busted._

Aria's Pov:

The first think I saw when I turned around was my mother's glare. She looked pissed.

_That was so stupid!_ I thought

_In the police station, too!_, but it was already too late, so I wrapped my arm around Ezra's waist and pulled him closer to me. He put his arm around my shoulder, still trying to comfort me. My father started to walk towards us, just as my mother began to speak.

"What is going on here?" she said in a loud angry voice.

"Ella" my father said in a surprisingly calm voice. "Just let them explain."

"I'm waiting for an explanation, Byron!" she yelled at him.

I watched her turn to glance at Spencer, then back at Ezra, a confused look on her face. The anger soon returned, though. Ezra, who was clearly uncomfortable, squeezed my hand.

"I don't know what to tell you mom." I said. "Except that we're in love."

I looked up at Ezra, still squeezing my hand, and he smiled at me slightly, but it didn't reach his eyes. You could still see the fear in them. His grip on my hand did not release.

"You're what?" my mother exclaimed.

I was about to repeat myself, when my dad stepped in.

"Ella!" he yelled. Then, he reached for my hand and pulled me to him, leaving Ezra standing there, open for my mother's glare. "Why don't you tell me what happened."

"The day we got home from Iceland, I was hungry, so I went to the bar to get some food. That is where we met. BEFORE I knew he was my teacher. We have been seeing each other ever since."

He looked at me with sad, understanding eyes. It was like he was trying to tell me that it was ok. Then he looked over to my mother, who clearly was not as understanding. She took a step towards Ezra. He didn't move. After a moment, he looked her in the eyes.

"We tried to stop once we found out I was her teacher, but it was too late, Mrs. Montgomery. We were already falling in love and we couldn't stop it."

She took another step towards him, anger and betrayal in her eyes. Seeing her closing in on him, I walked back over to Ezra and took his hand in mine.

"Mom, please! Just listen! Try to understand."

Ella's Pov:

"Understand? You want me to understand? He was your teacher, Aria!"

"Mom, the key word in that sentence is was. He was my teacher. But he isn't anymore! And I just got done saying that we met each other before we knew!" she said as she began to cry again. "We didn't-". She started to say, but I cut her off.

"Aria, I don't want to hear this right now. We're going home, we can talk about this later. Ezra, I think you better go."

She pulled him closer and was about to protest, but he stopped her.

"Aria, maybe I should go." He said and wiped away her tears. "I'll call you later, ok?"

"Ok" she replied with more tears welling up in her eyes. She leaned up to kiss him and they embraced for a moment. She pulled away and went straight to her father. She buried her head in his shoulder and he led her out towards the car. I back to Ezra, who was still standing there, then turned to go follow my husband and daughter.


	2. Chapter 2

**Another short chapter… sorry guys. I don't get much writing time, but I want to try to keep updating! I hope you like it! Please R&R. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them :D**

Aria's Pov:

As soon as I got in the car, I pulled out my phone to text Ezra.

_I'm so sorry. I love you. Whatever happenes, I just need you to know that. _I got a reply almost instantly.

_I know babe, I love you too. Everything is going to be ok. We'll work it out._

I smiled, but didn't quite feel relieved yet. My parents were standing outside the car, arguing.

"I don't care how in love they are Byron! What they did was wrong!" my mother yelled at him.

"Look, Ella. I'm not saying what they did was right, believe me. But I'm in no place to punish her. I did the same thing, remember?"

"How can I forget? You cheated on me with one of your students! But that doesn't mean you don't have to discipline our child. Teach her right from wrong."

"I'm not a hypocrite, Ella!"

With that my mother stormed around to the passengers side of the car, got in, and slammed the door closed. My dad did the same, jamming the keys into the ignition. As we started to pull away, I caught a glimpse of Ezra leaving the building. He was talking to Spencer. The ride home was completely silent. As soon as we pulled into the driveway, my mother got out of the car and stormed inside.

"I'm sorry Aria." my father said.

"For what?"

"For the way your mother is acting. Just give her some time."

I nodded and got out of the car. He gave me a hug and we went inside.

Ezra's Pov:

About a minute after Aria left with her parents, I heard my phone beep. All eyes turned to me, once again. I answered quickly, seeing it was from Aria. Uncomfortable with all the pairs of eyes on me, I went to leave. I noticed the other three girls whispering over along the left wall and I suddenly remembered what Aria's mom said about Spencers parents.

_If Spencer's parents find out about this, they will ruin you._

I walked over to where the girls were standing.

"Um, Spencer can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure, Mr. Fitz." She said and I motioned to the door

When we got outside I stopped walking and turned to face her.

"Do you have any idea why Aria's mom thought that you and I were seeing each other?" I asked.

"Yeah, Aria mentioned something about that… she said that her mom saw me talking to you that day that I jumped into your car when I thought Aria was in trouble with Jason."

"And she just assumed we were in a relationship?"

"Well, she heard that rumor that was going around about you and a student, so I guess she just jumped to conclusions."

"I see. So you, Hanna, and Emily knew about us all along, huh?"

"Yeah, Aria told us about you a while ago, but please don't be mad at her for that, Mr. Fitz. Hanna was trying to set her up with Noel because we thought she was lonely and-"

"Spencer, calm down. I'm not mad. I figured she was going to tell her best friends about us eventually. That's what girls do, isn't it?" I asked giving her a little smile.

"Yeah" she said as she laughed. "Oh, and about Aria's mom. Don't let her get to you. I've known her forever, just give her some time to cool down."

"Thanks Spence, it means a lot."

"No problem" she gave me a little smile and headed back inside.

Ella's Pov:

The next morning, I was downstairs drinking my coffee. Byron was at the table across from me, reading the paper. When Aria woke up, she came down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her face was streaked with tears.

"Aria, baby, why don't you sit down here for a minute. Byron, will you excuse us?"

"Sure" he replied and got up to go to the living room.

"Aria, I can't stand to see you like this."

"You're the one making me like this, mom! I was perfectly fine until last night."

"I know. I've done a lot of thinking this morning, and I see that I may have overreacted. I felt betrayed. I thought I knew Ezra, I thought we were friends. And to find out he lied to me about being in a relationship with my daughter, to find out that you had lied to me, it hurt Aria. You can understand that, can't you?"

"I understand, but that's the way it had to be! If I told you about us, you would have never let me see him! He makes me happy, mom!"

"I can see that now. I've noticed a big change in you since we got back from Iceland. I just assumed it was because you reconnected with your friends, but obviously I was wrong. And I know how hard everything that was going on with your father and I must have been for you and Mike, but somehow you stayed strong. He was there for you. I can't thank him enough for that."

"He was there for me. He was someone that I knew I could talk to about it."

"I just want you to know, that I am you mother. You can always talk to me. About anything."

"I know. You know how hard it is for me to keep secrets from you, mom. When dad asked me not to tell you about his affair, I didn't know what to do. I felt like I should have told you, but I didn't want to lose his trust either. I felt the same way the whole time I was with Ezra."

"You still should have told me, but its ok. I forgive you. I understand the situation you were in. And no matter how much I don't like it, you are in love. I could see it in Ezra's eyes last night, and I can see it in your eyes right now. There is obviously nothing I can do that can change that."

"No, there isn't." she said smiling as she wiped away a tear.

"Why don't you call Ezra and ask him to come over later. I would like to talk to him. I need to apologize for my behavior last night."

"Thank you mom." she said getting up to give me a hug. I squeezed her back and held her there for a minute.

"I love you, Aria. No matter what."

"I know, I love you too mom."

Ezra's Pov:

I woke up to the sound of my phone ringing. I picked it up off the nightstand and smiled when I saw it was Aria.

"Hey, babe. How are things this morning?" I asked

"They're great Ezra!" she exclaimed. "My mom wants you to come over later so she can talk to you, but I just talked to her and I think she is going to be ok with us being together!"

"Aria, that's great! What time should I come over?"

"How about around noon."

"Sure, sounds good."

"So, I guess I'll see you then!"

"I can't wait! I love you."

"I love you too, Ezra. Bye!"

"Bye!"

I couldn't believe this! Ella might actually accept my relationship with Aria! That was such a relief. I definitely didn't want to lose her as a friend, or Aria, the love of my life.


	3. Chapter 3

**I decided that I'm probably going to just update it everyday and not worry about how long the chapters are. R&R! If you have any suggestions PLEASE put them in your review. I need ideas! :D **

****Ezra's Pov:

When I hung up the phone, I looked over at the clock. It was 11am. I had an hour to get over to Aria's. I got a quick shower and got dressed in a hurry. I was so anxious to get over there and see her beautiful and her hopefully tear free brown eyes. I made myself a cup of coffee and rush out the door of my tiny apartment to the car.

Aria's Pov:

The next hour, waiting for Ezra passed by so slowly. After my morning cup of coffee, I went upstairs to get dressed. When I looked at myself in the mirror, I was beaming. I couldn't help it! I was so excited! When I went back downstairs, I found my father sitting on the couch watching a documentary on the history channel. I tried to watch it with him to get my mind off Ezra, but I just couldn't sit still.

Ezra's Pov:

I arrived at the Montgomery house 10 minutes early. It was hard not to speed when I was thinking about Aria. I just wanted to get to her as quickly as I could. I parked my car in front of the house, instead of in the driveway, hoping they wouldn't notice I was early. I turned the radio on and waited. After 5 long minutes, I decided it would be ok to go. I got out of the car, walked up the driveway, and knocked on the door.

Aria's Pov:

"I'll get it!" I yelled as I jumped up off the couch as fast as I could and flew to the door.

I flung it open and jumped up into Ezra's arms. He grabbed me and kissed the top of my head. I looked up into his beautiful blue eyes and couldn't help but smile. I gave him a kiss, and he put me down. I turned around, expecting to see my mother there, but I didn't see her. I took Ezra's hand and led him into the house. I couldn't believe it! We were holding hands in my house, kissing on my porch. I never thought that day would come. Of course he had been to my house before, but never as my boyfriend, just as a friend of the family.

"Mom? Ezra's here." I yelled up the stairs.

After a moment, she came out of her room and started down the steps.

"Hello Ezra." She said

"Ella." he replied with a nod.

"Aria, why don't you let us talk for a minute, ok?"

"Sure" I said. I squeezed his hand and turned for the kitchen.

Ezra's Pov:

I followed Ella into the living room and sat next to her on the couch, leaving a space between us. Byron was sitting in a chair across the room.

"Ezra, I'd like to apologize for my behavior last night. I-"

"Ella, it's ok. Really."

"No, it isn't. As your friend, I should not have acted that way. But you have to understand that as a mother, it's my job to look out for Aria. It wasn't until I talked to her this morning, after I thought everything over, that I realized that you really do love her."

"I do"

"And I know that she loves you too. I can see it. She has changed so much since we've been home from Iceland. She is happy. You make her happy. I couldn't take away what you two have, even if I tried."

Byron finally spoke up.

"Thank you Ezra. Thank you so much for being there for her. Our family really hit a rough patch this last year, which I can only blame myself for, but I could see how much it was affecting her. She needed someone who she could talk to, and there you were. A shoulder for her to cry on."

"You're welcome. I will always be there for her."

Aria's Pov:

After a minute of sitting in the kitchen, I decided to go upstairs and talk to Mike. I knocked on his door and he opened it a few moments later.

"Hey" he said

"Hey, um did mom and dad say anything to you about last night?"

"No, I haven't talked to them. Why?" He motioned me to come in and we both sat down on the edge of his bed.

"Well, something happened that you are going to find out about eventually, so…"

"What?"

"I'm seeing Mr. Fitz."

"Wait, seeing him as in like dating him?"

"Yeah. We met the day we got home from Iceland and it was like an instant connection. We were seeing each other before I found out he was my teacher."

"Woah. I definitely did not see that coming."

"Yeah, mom totally freaked at first, but she is down there talking to him right now and-"

"Mom and dad know? Oh my gosh, I'm surprised your still alive!"

"I know, right! Dad actually seemed ok with it right away, but I think that was mostly because he still feels guilty about cheating on mom. But I think they are both going to be ok with it. Mom said she wanted to apologize for flipping out last night."

"So he's down there right now?"

"Yeah, c'mon." I stood up and walked to his bedroom door.

We were going down the stairs and I heard the three of them laughing in the living room.

"Am I allowed to come in yet?" I asked my mother, a big smile on my face.

"Yeah, you guys can come in."

I sat down on the couch between Ezra and my mom. He put his arm around my shoulders and I laid my head down on his. Mike sat down in the empty chair next to my dad. He looked at us and laughed.

"Well this is going to take some getting used to"


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry it took so long to write this chapter! I didn't have much free time the last couple days. Please review! If you have suggestions for future chapters, please put them in your reviews! :D**

Aria's Pov:

When I woke up, I was on the couch. I looked over at the clock. It read 6:00 am.

_Crap! _I thought. _It's morning already! What time did I fall asleep?_

I sat up and noticed Mike was asleep in the chair across the room. I quietly got up, careful not to wake him, and went into the kitchen where I knew my mom would be. She was always up at this hour. I found her sitting at the table reading a book.

"Good morning sweetheart. I was just about to come get you and you brother up." she said when she saw me come in.

"Morning. What time did I fall asleep last night?"

"Around 10. You, Mike, and Ezra were watching a movie and you all fell asleep." She laughed. "It must have been pretty boring. I had to wake Ezra up and tell him to go home."

"Oh yeah, it's Monday…"

"Yeah, it is. Would you go get Mike up and tell him to get ready for school?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Oh and Ezra asked me to have you call him after school."

"Ok, thanks" I walked back into the living room where Mike was sleeping and tapped his shoulder. "Mike, time to get up for school, come on."

He got up, still only half awake, and we started up the stairs to get ready.

School was terrible. Somehow everyone had heard that me and the girls got taken into the police station for being caught with Ali's murder weapon. Everywhere I turned, someone was staring at me and/or whispering about me. When the last bell finally rung, we all went to hang out at the Grille. We went inside and got a table.

"Hey, I need to go call Ezra quick, I'll be right back, ok?"

"Ok, have fun talking to lover boy!" Hanna teased. I smiled and turned to walk away. I saw an empty table across the room with nobody around it. I went over, sat down, and dialed Ezra's number.

"Hey, babe" he said picking up the other end of the line.

"Hey" I said

"Did you sleep ok last night?"

"Yeah, I slept fine. I can't believe you left me sleeping on the couch and didn't even say goodbye!"

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to wake you. I offered to take you upstairs, but your mom said not to worry about it."

"It's ok, I forgive you" I said jokingly.

"So, I was wondering if you would want to come over here for dinner tonight?"

"Yeah, sure." I said glancing over at the table where my friends sat. Sure enough, they were watching me, but looked away when I looked over at them. "Hey, I have to go. I'm at the Grille with the girls, but I'll be over in like an hour, ok?"

"Ok, can't wait!"

"I love you"

"I love you too, bye!"

"Bye" I hung up the phone and went back over to my table.

"So, do you have a date tonight?" Hanna teased.

"Actually, yes." I said "Well, if you consider dinner at his apartment a date. It's not like we can go anywhere."

"True" she replied.

"So did your mom calm down yet?" Spencer asked.

"Yeah, she did! Ezra was at the house all day yesterday and she totally approved."

"That's great, Aria!" Emily said.

"Yeah, how did you manage that one?" Hanna asked teasingly.

"I don't even know! I just woke up and she said to invite him over so she could apologize."

"Well, congratulations." Spencer said. She didn't sound too enthusiastic, but that was understandable. She was devastated over her break up with Toby and probably wondering why her parents wouldn't approve of him. I knew it was still a sore subject so I changed it to something else.

"So Han, have you talked to your dad?"

"No. He will probably never speak to me again."

"Don't say that." Emily said

"Em, I ruined his wedding."

"I know, but he's your dad. He is going to forgive you."

"I doubt it." she said gloomily.

"Well, you can't sit around blaming yourself" Spencer said. "We all know it was "A" even if you can't tell that to your dad."

"I guess. I just wish "A" would leave us alone already. Haven't we had enough?"

"I guess not" Emily said.

"I can't believe the stuff they made us do to get Dr. Sullivan back. That was by far the worst they have done. I mean, I had to blackmail Jackie, which Ezra might never forgive me for if he finds out, Hanna had to stop her dads wedding, Spencer had to break up with Toby, and Emily was almost killed. And then as if that's not bad enough, they frame us for murder. How much worse is this going to get?" I said.

"I don't know, Aria" Spencer said. "I guess you haven't had a chance to actually talk to Ezra about what happened the other night yet, huh. What are you going to tell him? Obviously you are going to have to say something considering we spent the night in the police station and you called him in tears."

"I haven't really thought about it." I said. "Should I tell him about "A"?"

"It's going to be risky" Emily said. " Everyone who has ever known or thought they known who "A" was has been put in danger. I'm thinking that the more people we tell, the worse it is going to get."

"Yeah, they could destroy your relationship." said Spencer.

"It's not like they haven't tried before, Spence. We've been through a lot, I just feel like I owe Ezra an explanation. And the truth. And that way, if he finds out about me blackmailing Jackie I will have a reason to tell him besides 'I was jealous of your ex-girlfriend'"

"That's true." Hanna said. "I think you need to tell him, Aria"

"I just think it might be easier that way. I hate lying to him."

"I guess your right" Emily said.

"I'll tell him when I go over there tonight. Speaking of that, I've got to go soon."

"Yeah, I've got to go meet Caleb anyways" Hanna said smiling. She always got that way when she talked about Caleb.

"So, what are you two going to do tonight?" Spencer asked.

"We are going to the movies." She said very enthusiastically.

"I'm jealous. I wish me and Ezra could come with." I said.

"Maybe someday" she said.


	5. Chapter 5

Ezra's Pov:

I pulled the chicken out of the oven when I heard Aria knock at the door. I rushed over and pulling it open and pressed my lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pushed me into the apartment, closing the door behind her.

"Hi" she said her lips still on mine.

"Hi" I replied laughing and I pulled back to look at her face. "You're just in time, dinner is ready."

"Mmmm, what did you make?"

"Chicken."

"Whoa, you really went all out." she said sarcastically.

"Well, you know me." I said laughing at her comment.

I went to the kitchen and made us both a plate. Aria was waiting for me on the couch. We ate our dinner while watching Modern Family. She turned it off when we finished eating and looked at me.

"So, um, there is something I need to talk to you about."

"Sure, what wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, I just- It's about what happened on Saturday night."

I didn't say anything and waited for her to continue.

"So you obviously know we were found with Alison's murder weapon since that is the reason we were in the police station."

"Yeah…"

"But you don't know why. How come you haven't asked about it?"

"I figured you would tell me when you were ready to talk about it."

"Ok, well, I'm ready now."

The look on her face scared me. It looked like she was trying to decide what to say or how to tell me. She looked scared.

"Aria, what's the matter?" I asked pulling her closer to me. "You can tell me anything, you know that. You don't need to be scared." She started to cry and buried her head in my shoulders. I stroked her hair and tried to soothe her. What was so bad that she couldn't even tell me? I waited a couple minutes for her to calm down. Finally, she sat up and took a deep breath.

She started from the beginning, which was long ago than I would have thought, and told me everything. Every last little detail of what had happened to her, she seemed to remember perfectly. There was pain all over her face and in her voice. How could someone be torturing her like this? And the other girls too? How was it possible? Who could have that much time on their hands and be so cold hearted?

When she finished she just looked at me, hoping for me to say something. I didn't know what to say to her. How was I supposed to respond to something like that?

"Aria-" was all I could manage so I pulled her to me again and held her close. "It's going to be ok." I whispered in her ear.

She pulled away again and looked at me. I figured I should probably say something.

"How come you never told me any of this before?"

"Because it seems like everyone who knows becomes a part of it. I didn't want you to get hurt."

"So, why now?"

"I figured you needed to know. It was becoming more and more dangerous to not know what was going on."

"I'm so sorry that all of this has been happening to you. I can't even imagine what going through that would be like."

"It's hell." she said. "You never know where or when to expect an attack. Or a threat. Or a blackmail. I lose sleep over it. It sucks."

"We need to tell the police about this. I can't let them do this to you anymore."

"Ezra, we've tried that. It doesn't work. It never works."

"Then what do we do?"

"There's nothing we can do right now."

"Ok, your right. Let's just enjoy the rest of our night together. We can talk about this later."

"Ok" she said snuggling back into my arms. I turned the TV back on and we started where we left off.

**Sorry it's not very long. I haven't had much time to write lately and I just needed to update. Please leave suggestions in your reviews! :D**


	6. Chapter 6

**Credit for the idea in this chapter goes to the lovely Dani, aka LUCiANLOVERxox. She gave me the idea so I'm going to run with it and see where it goes. Thanks for all of your reviews, and if you have any suggestions, be sure to let me know :) **

Aria's Pov:

It was Friday, and the day was dragging by slowly as it always did. I had last period study hall and nothing to do. I just wanted to get out of school. The only thing that was keeping me going was the text I received at lunch time from Ezra.

_Meet me at my apartment after school is over. I have a surprise for you. _

What could the surprise be? Why couldn't he just tell me? Trying to make time pass faster, I slept through the rest of study hall. I woke up just before the last bell and darted out of the room when it rang.

Ezra's Pov:

I was so nervous for Aria to come over. I honestly didn't know what she was going to say or how she would react to my "surprise". I've never made such a spontaneous decision before. I heard her knock at my door and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. When I opened the door, she looked so excited. I tried to act like I wasn't nervous.

"Hey!" she said with a huge smile across her face.

"Hey, how was school?"

"Boring as usual."

"Well hopefully this will cheer you up" I said handing her an envelope with two plane tickets inside.

"We're going to Miami? Ezra!"

She jumped into my arms, practically knocking me over in the process. She was beaming with excitement. All of my nerves went away with her reaction. But that only lasted for about 5 seconds until she let go of me. Her face changed to disappointment. My heart started to race again. She was going to say no.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"My parents are never going to let me go."

"Then we just won't tell them!" I suggested sarcastically, but she seemed to like that idea.

"That's perfect!"

"Aria, no. I was just kidding. You can't just run off with your boyfriend for the weekend without telling your parents. No matter how much I want you to."

"No, Ezra. It's a perfect plan!"

"Aria, I don't think-"

"Once we get on the plane, they aren't going to be able to do anything about it."

"Aria-"

"I'm not going to let my parents ruin the weekend you planned!"

I could tell she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She wanted this, and she knew that I did too. She also knew I wouldn't be able to say no to her.

"Fine, let's go, I'll take you to get a bag packed."

"Yay!" she squealed hugging me once again. I couldn't help but smile too. I loved seeing her so happy.

Aria's Pov:

I knew my parents wouldn't be home because they were both still at work, but I was nervous about going to the house to get my stuff. I darted up the stairs faster than I ever have in my whole life. I started throwing clothes into my suitcase. I didn't even know what I was packing. I went to the bathroom and grabbed everything I needed in there, shoving it in the bag as well. It wasn't until I was on my way back out to the car that I realized I was shaking. I was terrified of my parents catching us before we left. I didn't care if I was in trouble when I got home, but they couldn't catch us before we even got to leave. I know the consequences of being in this relationship and Ezra and I both decided we were willing to take risks. We were doing this, no looking back. If I get punished when I get home, then fine.

"You ready to go?" Ezra asked when I got to the car.

"Yeah"

"Alright, let's go then. Are you sure about this?"

"I am 100% sure."

I hoped he wouldn't notice how shaky and nervous I was. He pulled away from my house and started to drive. As he was about to turn the corner at the end of my street, I looked back to see my mom's car pulling into the driveway. That was a close one. I knew she would be calling me soon to find out where I was. I honestly didn't know what to tell her. Should I have the girls cover for me? That might be tricky for the whole weekend. And she would suspect that I was with Ezra anyways. Should I just tell her then? I guess I would have to.

We got to the airport around 5:00. Our flight wasn't scheduled to leave until 7:30, so we had a while to wait. I just need the girls to cover for me long enough to get on the plane. After we got through security to the area where we had to wait, I pulled out my phone.

"Hanna, listen. I need you to cover for me just for a little while."

"Why? Where are you?"

"I'm with Ezra."

"Oh, I thought you said your mom was ok with that now!"

"We aren't exactly at his apartment, Han. We're going to Miami for the weekend."

"Oh! How come you didn't tell me?"

"I just found out. I just need you to cover for me long enough for us to get on the plane and leave. Then I'm going to tell her where we are."

"Ok, I can do that."

"Thanks Han, you're the best."

"I know" she said right before hanging up her end of the line.

Ezra's Pov:

Only a few minutes after Aria hung up the phone with Hanna, her phone started to ring. I knew it had to be her mom because she got up and walked away before answering it. She seemed just as nervous as I was about this whole thing. I still wasn't sure how I felt about it. If I knew she would insist on not telling her parents until _after_ we left, I never would have planned the trip at all. I just gained Ella and Byron's trust back; I didn't want to lose it again.

"I thought she was never going to stop asking questions." Aria said when she returned.

"What did you tell her?"

"Just that I was going to be over at Hanna's for a while, but she sounded like she didn't believe me. She probably thinks I'm at your apartment or something. I just hope she doesn't go over to Hanna's."

"Yeah, I hope not too." I lied. Part of me sort of wanted us to get caught so we wouldn't get into as much trouble. I didn't want to lose Aria after everything we have been through to get this far.


	7. Chapter 7

**I need to thank my assistant in writing this chapter, Dani aka LUCiANLOVERxox for helping me through my writers block. Also, I'm not exactly sure what season it is supposed to be in the show right now since Rosewood time is to confusing, so I just said it was fall. I hope you like it! R&R :)**

Ella's POV

I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing. I checked the time, it was almost 10. I had five missed calls from Aria. Worried, I answered quickly.

"Aria?"

"Hi mom"

"Honey, are you ok? Where are you! You said you were just going to be at Hanna's for a few hours!"

"Mom, I'm fine. But I'm not at Hanna's, I'm with Ezra."

"With Ezra where?"

"Um… in Miami?"

"Miami?" I nearly screamed. "What the hell are you doing in Miami?"

"Well, Ezra asked me if I wanted to go for the weekend and I agreed."

"And he didn't think it would be a good idea to ask your mother first?"

"I'm the one who decided not to tell you, ok. Don't get mad at him."

"And why didn't you think you should tell me?"

"Because I knew you would say no and I just wanted some time alone with him."

"You're right, I would have said no. If you want time alone with him, you go over to his apartment! You don't just run off to Miami!"

"Mom, I'm sorry, but I just needed to do this, ok?"

"No, it's no ok. I'm glad that you are ok though, I was worried about you when you didn't come home."

"I know, I'm sorry."

"We'll talk about this when you get home. Which better be on Sunday."

"It is. I love you mom, bye."

"I love you to Aria"

Aria's POV

_Well, that went better than I thought it would. _I thought as I hung up the phone with my mother. I was expecting little bit more screaming than that.

"How'd she take it?" Ezra asked

"She seemed fine. She's not too pleased, but that was to be expected."

"Well I'm glad it went ok. The hardest part is over" he said squeezing my hand in his.

We grabbed our bags, got the rental car, and started for the hotel. We stopped to get some food on the way since we had barely eaten anything since lunch time. When we finally got to our hotel suite, we walked around until we finally found the bedroom. We threw our luggage on the floor and smiled at each other. He knew exactly what I was thinking before I even had to say it. I have been bugging him about our first time for what seems like forever. I pulled his lips down to meet mine.

"Are you sure?" he asked me

"Yeah"

I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him gently. He deepened the kiss, placing his hands around my waist and lifting me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist, closing all of the space between us. He slowly carried me over to the bed and laid me down gently.

"Are you positive?"

"Yes Ezra, I've never been more sure of anything in my life."

Ezra's POV

When I woke up, I felt Aria's arms around me and her head on my chest. She was still asleep, so I just laid there playing with a piece of her hair. I figured I would let her sleep because we were just going to spend the day on the beach and enjoy the nice weather. It was starting to get into the chilly fall weather back in Rosewood, but it was still warm here in Miami of course. She slept for almost another hour until she finally woke up.

"Good morning beautiful"

"Good morning" she said leaning up to kiss me. She sighed and laid her head back down.

"What's wrong?" I asked

"I just love you, that's all."

"I love you too" I laughed kissing the top of her head.

"Last night was amazing"

"Yeah, it really was." I said smiling down at her.

"So what are we doing today?" she asked suddenly.

"Just going down the the beach if that's ok with you."

"Yeah, that sounds great!" she said. "I haven't been to the beach in a long time."

"Good" I said, pulling away from her. We both got up and started to get dressed.

Aria's POV

It was about 11:00 am, so we had to get to the beach before it got too crowded. When we got there, we found a nice spot with two open chairs right near the water and put our stuff down. He grabbed my hand and started pulling me towards the water.

"Oh, there's no way" I said. "It's going to be freezing in there!"

"I didn't come to the beach to sit in the sand all day, come on! Please?" he begged.

"Oh fine, but if it's cold I'm coming back up here to watch you." I said letting him drag me off towards the waves. As soon as my toes hit the water, I started to turn away. It was freezing, just like I thought it would be. Ezra pulled me to him again and picked me up, cradling me in his arms.

"Please come in with me?" he asked again. I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You know I can't say no to you, right?" I giggled. He turned to walk deeper into the water. He was still holding me so my body wasn't touching the water yet. I held on to him tighter and squeezed my eyes shut as we got deeper and deeper and the cold water started to touch me. When almost my whole body was covered, I gave up and got out of his cradle. Shivering, I wrapped my legs around his waist holding him close to me.

"This is nice" he said smiling down at me

"Yeah, I guess. Besides for the cold part."

"Oh stop whining" he said in a playful voice. I dropped my hand and splashed water into his face.

"Hey!" he yelled splashing me back. I turned away and screamed, then splashed him back even harder. He laughed, pulling me back into him. I fought to get away from him, afraid he would splash me again, but instead he pulled me into a passionate kiss. I kissed him back, suddenly forgetting about everything else going on around us. There were kids splashing, and playing, and screaming, but none of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was that I was here, with Ezra, in public, without a care in the world. It felt good to not need to be cautious about who was watching. We didnt need to worry about anything. We were together, and we were happy.


	8. Chapter 8

Aria's POV

The flight back to Rosewood didn't take long enough. Before I knew it, the plane was landing. I didn't want to have to face my parents just yet. I know it was a short trip, but it was a much needed one. We needed to get away from people for a coulple days and just enjoy being together. The drive from the airport back to my house also passed by too quickly. Ezra was driving with one hand on the wheel, and the other one gripping mine firmly. I could tell he was nervous about taking me home. He probably felt like my parents were going to blame him for just taking off instead of me. The last thing I wanted was for him to be blamed. It was my idea, and my fault. I watched nervously as he turned onto my street and pulled up next to my house. I squeezed his hand reassuringly before turning to get out of the car. We both got out, and hand in hand started walking towards the front door. We were halfway up the driveway when my parents rushed out to meet us. My mother, who was first out the door, had a look of relief on her face. But now that she saw I had made it home safe, her relief quickly changed to anger.

"Aria, go inside. Your father and I need to speak with Ezra."

"Mom, I told you. This was my idea, not his."

"I don't care whose idea it was, I told you we would discuss it when you got home. Now go inside, we will be in in a minute."

"Ezra-" I said looking up at him, begging him to do something.

"Aria" my dad said finally speaking up. "listen to your mother! Go inside. Now."

Ezra squeezed my hand reassuringly, just like I had done for him in the car. He gave me a little nod letting me know it would be ok. Knowing that it was the end of the discussion, I dropped his hand and started running towards the house, already feeling the tears well up in my eyes. It wasn't until I was upstairs in my room that I let them fall. They were tears of anger. Why was I so angry with my parents? I didn't know for sure what they were going to say to him. Maybe they just wanted to thank him for returning me home safely. But why wouldn't they be able to say that in front of me? Oh, who was I kidding. They were going to tell him he couldn't see me anymore. Why was I so stupid? I knew the consequences of leaving, but I did it anyways. I guess I didn't think it would actually happen. Or realize that it would hurt this much.

Ezra's POV

When Aria's parents came out of the house, I didn't know what to expect. Ella didn't look angry at first, but she did by the time she reached us. Byron kept a straight face and I couldn't tell what he was thinking. I was trying hard not to think about what was about to happen. I couldn't even try to imagine my life without Aria. I need her. And even more than that, she needed me.

"Ezra-" she pleaded, staring up at me with those beautiful brown eyes that I loved so much. I squeezed her hand and gave her a slight nod. I wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything would be ok, but I couldn't find the words. That's when Byron spoke up. I heard him say something to her in a loud, angry tone. Before I knew it, she had dropped my hand and was running towards the house. I watched her go as the tears started forming in my eyes. I couldn't bear the thought that this might be the last time I saw her, at least the last time for a while. Any length of time away from her would be too long.

"Ezra" I heard Ella say, breaking me away from my thoughts. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. It is very obvious that you care about my daughter."

"I do" I managed to say.

"Which is why we can't stop you from seeing her." said Byron.

"Well, not completely." Ella added. " But things are going to be different for a while. Aria's obviously grounded, but we haven't decided for how long yet."

"What we have decided is that we will allow you to come over for dinner one night a week so you can see each other." Byron said.

I didn't know what to say. I must have looked like I went into shock. I wasn't fully convinced that I hadn't.

"We figured that she will still get to see her other friends at school, so it would only be fair to let her see you too. Plus, I think she is very dependent on you and it would only make her worse if she couldn't see you at all."

I still wasn't sure what to say.

"Well, thank you." I said, then turned to start back to my car.

"Ezra wait." Ella said. I turned back around and she pulled me into a hug. "Thank you. I'm really glad that Aria has you in her life right now. What you two did was really stupid, but I'm not mad at you. She just needs to learn a lesson somehow, right?" she said, laughing now.

"Yeah, I guess." I chuckled back. "I really appreciate it Ella." With that, I went back to my car and started driving off towards my apartment building.

Aria's POV

Later that night, I was lying awake in my bed. I couldn't stop replaying everything that had happened over in my mind. I couldn't even believe how stupid I had been. If I would have just asked my mom first, she would have said no, and maybe I'd be at Ezra's right now. But no, I was grounded. Was it really worth it for a day and a half alone with him in Miami? I wasn't even sure anymore. At least my parents decided to only ground me for one month instead of two. I just wish I could hear his voice, or at least text him.

_Aria, _

_We'll make it through this, I promise. It will go by quicker than you think. Stay strong. I love you with all my heart. –Ezra_

This was the last text I had received from him. The words that I would be playing over and over in my mind until I saw him again.

**Sorry about the bad ending. I promised a couple people an update tonight and it's getting late. I hope you liked it though! R&R! 3**


	9. Chapter 9

Ella's POV

"Byron, there's another one" I yelled to him from the kitchen. He was sitting in the living room watching TV. I dried off my hands picked up Aria's phone off the counter to take in to him. I felt really bad about taking it from her, but it had been three days and she seemed to be doing fine so far. Besides the fact that she only came out of her room to eat.

"What does this one say?" Byron asked me when I entered the room. I stared down at the screen.

"I'll see you soon. Can't wait. Love you more than anything. -Ezra"

Ezra had been sending Aria texts on her phone saying things like this ever since he left on Sunday. There was even one up on the screen when I took it from her.

_Aria, We'll make it through this, I promise. It will go by quicker than you think. Stay strong. I love you with all my heart. –Ezra_

"Should we call and tell him to stop texting her? It's not like she can answer him, or even see the messages." I sat down on the arm of the couch next to him.

"No, I think it's his way of handling not getting to see her. They depended on each other too much. He might not do it as much after they see each other at dinner tomorrow night."

"I guess you're right."

"I always am" I said jokingly. He laughed and gave me a kiss on the cheek.

"I better get back to the dishes." I said. I stood up and headed back to the kitchen.

Ezra's POV

I knew Aria's parents had most likely taken her phone, but I couldn't help but think that maybe she was actually reading the messages I was sending her. And if she didn't have her phone, and wasn't reading them, maybe her parents were. Part of me hoped that her parents had seen the messages. I wanted them to see how much I needed Aria in my life. They say they do, but I don't think they truly understand how much I love her. I hoped the wouldn't blame me for taking her away without their permission, and they did seem surprisingly calm after Aria had gone inside. They know her as well as I do and probably figured that she had found a way to convince me. Aria is a very hard person to say no to, after all. Not only did she convince me to run off to Miami, but she convinced me to sleep with her once we got there. Actually, it didn't take _that_ much convincing, but I was hesitant because I wasn't sure if she was really ready, or if she rushed into it since we were out of town. I know that I definitely didn't regret it and I was pretty sure that she didn't either. At least I hoped.

Aria's POV

These last four days without Ezra have been hell. The school day drug on forever, then when it was finally over, I had to go straight home. I still wasn't on speaking terms with my parents, and hiding out in my room wasn't exactly enjoyable. It seems like the only thing for me to do is sit and think. And cry. I was glad that it was almost lunch time. That's the only chance I really got to talk to Hanna, Spencer, and Emily these days.

"Hey!" Hanna said as I sat down at our table.

"Hey guys" I replied.

"So tonight's the night, right?" Spencer asked me.

"What do you mean?" I replied, confused.

""You get to see Ezra tonight, remember! It's finally Thursday!"

"Oh my gosh!" I said, a huge smile already spreading across my face. I had been thinking about Ezra so much lately, trying to hold on to our weekend together that I completely forgot about the dinner!

"How could you forget something like that!" Emily exclaimed.

"I don't know" I replied. "I guess I've just had a lot else on my mind, that's all."

"Like..." Spencer said, urging me to continue.

"Okay, there's something that I haven't told you guys yet." I said. They all stayed silent, waiting for me to continue. "When I was in Miami with Ezra, we-"

"Oh my god, you had sex with him?" Hanna practically yelled. I turned around, making sure nobody around had heard what she said. Luckily, I don't think anyone did.

"Oh my god, you did!" Emily said, smiling. "Look at her blush!" I felt my cheeks get hotter once she pointed it out.

"How come you didn't tell us until now?" Spencer asked. "You don't regret it, do you?"

"No, I don't regret it... it was incredible. It was _beyond_ incredible."

"Then what's the matter?" Emily asked.

"I just got the feeling that he felt I was only doing it because we knew my parents might not let us see each other anymore."

"Well did you guys talk about it at all?" Hanna asked.

"No!" I said. "He said it was amazing, but we didn't talk about it at all other than that"  
>"I think you're just overreacting." Spencer said.<p>

"Yeah, I bet he doesn't think that at all. He knows how much you love him and want to be with him."

"I know. I guess you're right."

"And besides, you spent almost two whole days with him after it happened, so I think you're fine. He would have asked you about it by now." Emily added.

"Thanks, guys." I said. We spent the rest of lunch talking and gossiping. It was nice to be able to get my mind off of things, even if it was just for a little while.

When I got home from school, I went straight to my room like I had been doing since Sunday.  
>I still couldn't believe that I had spent the last 4 days practically living in my bedroom. It was going to be so weird tonight having to go downstairs and talk to my parents. Ezra would be there, which would be good, but it was still going to be awkward. I just finished getting ready when the doorbell rang. Suddenly, all my fear and doubt was gone and I was ready for it. I sprinted down the steps and swung open the door.<p>

"Ezra!" I yelled running into his arms. Surprisingly, he lifted me up and kissed me more passionately than he ever has before. Maybe it just felt that way since I had been away for a couple days, but either way, it was a pleasant surprise. I was lost in the kiss when I heard someone clear their throat behind me. I turned my head to see who it was.

"Oh, mom, could you... um... give us a minute?" I said trying not to laugh. She sighed and turned around, going back inside.

"Where were we?" I asked Ezra, who was still holding me, as I leaned back into the kiss. I wrapped my arms tighter around his neck. He held me there for what seemed like minutes.

"You ready to go inside?" He muttered into my ear, then kissing me down my neck.

"Not really" I giggled. My lips found his once more before I reluctantly pulled away. He put me down, grabbed my hand, and we went inside.

Ezra's POV

We walked into the house hand in hand. I could tell that Aria was happy because she had a huge smile on her face, but her mood shifted suddenly when we walked into the living room where her parents were. She was glaring at her mother and I felt her shift slightly closer to me.

"Hello Ezra" Byron greeted me. He was seated next to Ella in one of the chairs across the room.

"Good evening Byron" I replied. "Ella" I said, nodding a hello to her as well.

"Hello" she said stiffly. She seemed upset about the look of anger on her daughter's face. It almost looked like hatred. _Is she really still mad at them for grounding her?_ I thought. We sat down on the couch. There was an awkward silence. Aria looked back and forth between her parents and they stared back at us. I could definitely feel the tension in the room.

"I should go check on dinner." Ella said, jumping up suddenly. She rushed out of the room and around the corner towards the kitchen.

"Um... thank you. For letting me come here tonight." I said, breaking the silence.

"It's really not a problem, Ezra. Once a week isn't a big deal. She suffers enough on the other days." He said winking at his daughter. He had meant for it to be funny, but Aria was not in the mood.

"That's not funny dad! I don't even need to be grounded at all! I've already learned my lesson!" she yelled.

"I didn't mean to say that we are doing this to make you suffer. But no, I don't think you have learned your lesson. The lesson is that we are your parents and you are a child. You need to listen to us and respect us."

_Uh oh_ I thought. That is the one thing she hated being called the most. A child. I learned that the hard way when we first started seeing each other.

_"How are things at home?" I asked her_  
><em>"Uh.. fine. My mom and dad are having a date night." <em>  
><em>"Hmm. Well maybe they are working things out."<em>  
><em>"They can have all the alone time in the world, but she's... she's going to be miserable when she finds out."<em>  
><em>"Aria, has it ever occurred to you that maybe your mom knows more about this than you think?"<em>  
><em>"No, she doesn't know. That's the worst part. Well, almost the worst part."<em>  
><em>"Well it's possible that your parents have come to some sort of...understanding. That you don't know about?"<em>  
><em>"No, it's not possible. What do you mean an understanding?"<em>  
><em>"Okay, um... when I was 12, my parents broke up and it threw my brother and me for a loop. I found out later they had both been cheating. They worked through their infidelity, it was just something else that killed the marriage."<em>  
><em>"But that's <em>your _family, not mine. What are you trying to tell me?" _  
><em>"I'm just saying that even though your dad put you in this position, it's not your problem to fix."<em>  
><em>"I'm not trying to fix it, I'm trying to deal with it."<em>  
><em>"But they're the ones that should be dealing with this. What you can't see now is that your parents need to figure it out for themselves. Like adults."<em>  
><em>"Like adults."<em>  
><em>"Right"<em>  
><em>"Like, I'm not mature enough to deal with this?"<em>  
><em>"Uh.. I didn't say that!"<em>  
><em>"Yeah, I think that's exactly what they said. You said I am a child, and I should mind my own business."<em>  
><em>"I guarantee you, that's not what I said."<em>  
><em>"Well if I'm such a child, why did you ask me here?"<em>  
><em>"I asked you here because I don't see you as a child... and that's exactly why we need to figure out what's going on between us."<em>  
><em>"Okay, just leave my parents out of it!"<em>  
><em>"You came to me about your father. Do you remember that?"<em>  
><em>"You know, I.. um... I think I made a mistake coming here."<em>  
><em>"I don't think you did"<em>  
><em>"I do. It's not something an <em>adult_ would have done."_

I cringed at the memory of our first real fight. Aria got up off of the couch.

"Where are you going?" Byron asked her.

"I'm going back to my room"

"Fine" he replied. She pulled me up off the couch, onto my feet. I looked over at Byron questioningly. He sighed heavily before nodding his approval. He was obviously not thrilled with Aria's behavior, or the fact that I would be up in her room with her. She drug me up the stairs and into her room, closing the door tightly behind us.


	10. Chapter 10

Aria's POV

Ezra walked across my bedroom and sat down on my bed. He laid back and I laid down next to him, laying my head on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed.

"What?" I asked him.

"I've waited so long to do this. To lay here with you in your bed."

"I know" I said. I looked up at him and smiled. He kissed my forehead and I laid my head back down. "I'm sorry about my parents".

"Aria, they are your parents. They are just doing their job."

"I know that, but they just make me so angry sometimes, you know?"

"Yeah, I do." I looked up at him again.

"What are your parents like?" I asked him.

"They were exactly like yours are when I was living with them."

"So, overprotective then?" I said in a joking tone. He laughed.

"Not overprotective, just… okay… well maybe a little overprotective. But at least I knew they cared."

"When am I going to get to meet them?"

"I haven't really thought about it actually. I'll see if I can work something out soon, ok?"

"Ok" I said.

"You know, I've been texting you all week."

"Really? My parents took my phone from me…"

"I figured that"

"So why did you still do it?"

"I felt like I needed to. I wanted to comfort you and tell you it would all be ok."

"How many did you send?"

"I sent one everyday."

"Really? Oh my gosh, do you think my parents read them?" I sat up suddenly, panicking. I did NOT want my mother reading those messages. Ezra sat up and scooted closer to me.

"Aria, look at me" He said tilting my chin up until my eyes met his. "Does it really matter?" He asked as he tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.

"Well, I guess not." I said taking a breath.

"Don't get all worked up ok? The worst that could happen if they did read them is knowing my true feelings for you. I don't think that's such a bad thing."

"You're right" I said. "But… you didn't mention anything about what… happened in Miami in the messages did you?"

"No, I didn't. I would never do that if I thought that there was a possibility that your parents had your phone."

"Okay, good" I said. "I just don't want them to find out about it" He grabbed my hands in his.

"We can keep it between us, okay? They don't need to find out."

"Okay" He kissed me on the cheek and laid back again pulling me down with him. I laid my head back on his chest and closed my eyes.

Byron's POV

I walked into the kitchen to find my wife sitting at the table reading a book.

"Ella? I thought you were checking on dinner."

"I did check on it"

"Why didn't you come back into the living room?"

"I could tell Aria didn't want me in there so I figured I wouldn't upset her more."

"C'mon, you know that isn't true."

"Yes, it is Byron! You saw the way she was looking at me!"

"She was looking at us both that way. She's still upset about being grounded. Give her some time."

"Why aren't you in there with them?"

"They went up to Aria'a room."

"What? You let him go up there with her?"

"Yeah, what is the big deal?"

"They are up there together! Alone!"

"And what, you think they are going to sleep together while we are right downstairs? For goodness sakes Ella, if they wanted to do it that badly then they probably already have! You know she has been over to his apartment MANY times before and they were just out of town for a couple days! Besides, you're the one who practically gave her permission to stay over there when you were on the phone with her last weekend so-"

"Oh my god. You don't think they have actually had sex already do you?"

"How would I know! You will have to talk to your daughter about that one."

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm afraid of what the answer will be! She is sixteen Byron."

"I know"

"Why are you so calm about this?"

"Ella, there is nothing we can do about it. They are in love. And Aria is old enough to be able to start making her own decisions. We trust Aria. And Ezra, remember?"

"Okay, you're right. But I still don't like the idea of her sleeping with him."

"And you think I do?"

"Well, no…"

"Okay then. How much longer until dinner will be ready?"

"About 20 minutes"

"Well I'll go up and tell them when it's ready then."

"Alright"

I walked back into the living room and found something to watch on tv while I waited.

Ezra's POV

I felt Aria's breathing start to get heavier after we had been laying there for what seemed like a while. I didn't mind that she was sleeping, I was just glad to be laying there with my arms around her. I didn't understand how she could possibly be tired though because she had probably spent a lot of time sleeping while she was stuck in her room these past few days. We had probably been laying there for a good 15 minutes when I heard footsteps start up the stairs. Surely enough, a few seconds later there was a knock on Aria's door. Her dad stuck her head in.

"Dinner is just about ready" He said in a low voice, noticing that Aria was sleeping. "It will be about another 5 minutes."

"Okay, thank you Byron" I said before he closed the door. I listened to his footsteps going back down the stairs. I hated to have to wake Aria up, but we had to get downstairs before dinner was ready.

"Aria, time to wake up" I whispered in her ear. She didn't respond. I leaned down and kissed her neck gently before whispering in her ear again. This time she opened her eyes.

"Hey, your dad was just up here, he said it's almost time for dinner." She sighed and rolled her eyes as she sat up.

"Aria, I want you to be nice to your parents tonight. Especially your mother." She rolled her eyes again.

"How can I be nice when they make me so angry?"

"You know they only grounded you because they love you and it's important to them that you learn right from wrong."

"Well they aren't doing a very good job considering they are still letting me see you."

"Aria…"

"Okay, okay. I hate it when you're right." I laughed and grabbed her hand, leading her out of the bedroom.


End file.
